


Now Lie In It

by starrylitme



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Awkward Dates, Awkward Romance, Bad Flirting, Bad Jokes, Banter, Budding Love, Complicated Relationships, Gen, Kidnapping, Lies, M/M, Male-Female Friendship, Memory Loss, Platonic Relationships, Stream of Consciousness, Surprise Kissing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-17
Updated: 2017-03-17
Packaged: 2018-10-06 13:53:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10336076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starrylitme/pseuds/starrylitme
Summary: If you ever wish to see Amami Rantarou again, you will not call the police lest you make things difficult on yourself. Let’s see if you are able to save him from me, Akamatsu Kaede. Expect further notice soon.(In which in regards to Ouma and Amami, it’s less a kidnapping and more of an awkward series of dates between the two. Except that’s a lie. Except not really.)(Written for the DR Valentines Exchange.)





	

**Author's Note:**

> So I joined a Valentines Exchange for DR and like, ended up writing oumami for it. Because I have no self-control, it's set in the same verse as my other v3 fic, but it's...not really a continuation of it, obviously. And you don't need to read it since the basic elements are explained if not apparent. Either way, whether you enjoyed that fic or not, I hope you enjoy this one.
> 
> Ouma is a pain in the ass to write but he's a lot of fun and really interesting, especially in how he plays off other characters. Surprise to no one that he'd be my obvious favorite if not for Kaede. Oumami is actually a pairing I might be interested in, oh noooo~~
> 
> Please let me know your thoughts!! Thank you for reading!!

It’s a lovely day out. It’s warm, there’s a pleasant breeze, birds chirp on high, and she taps along to the notes of Liszt’s _Liebestraum_ playing.

Her phone dings with a message notification. She opens the text with a hum, and...

Amami’s dippy, cheerful smile meets her stare, with the still of Amami stuck in mid-wave like he was in the middle of greeting her. And, of course, the caption read as follows:

**_If you ever wish to see Amami Rantarou again, you will not call the police lest you make things difficult on yourself. Let’s see if you are able to save him from me, Akamatsu Kaede. Expect further notice soon._ **

Kaede closes it, turns off Liszt, and she just sighs.

A beautiful day, it’s only morning, and already she’s wondering why she isn’t back in bed yet.

* * *

It’s a beautiful day, with the fountain sparkling in the sunlight and the park in general in a state of serenity and beauty.

“I have to say, Amami-chan, you really are _dangerously_ pliant!”

With the way Ouma stood, head tall—as tall as about five feet could be—hands on his hips, smile bright and arrogant, eyes lit up with childish delight. Amami just found himself nodding along, keeping himself politely seated.

“I suppose, I suppose,” he hums. “But, since Ouma-kun was so kindly asking, I saw no reason to refuse.”

“Oh, is that so?” Ouma asked, gasping with wide-eyed, doe-eyed curiosity. “Amami-chan, you really suspected nothing from the start?!”

“Mm... I don’t think so...”

“In addition to being dangerously pliant, you’re dangerously trusting,” Ouma told him so seriously that of course there was a spark of wicked humor in those wide purple eyes. Amami, of course, once again nods along lazily.

“I might’ve gotten that from Kae-chan,” he says. “Or Kae-chan got it from me—not sure; don’t really remember. You can ask her if you like. I have her number on speed dial. She’s...either the first or the second. Or the third. I sometimes get mixed up.”

“Oh, Amami-chan,” Ouma purrs pressing his hands together and leaning in, staring pitifully down at him. “You’ve already forgotten, haven’t you?”

Amami smiles up at him, slowly averts his gaze, and then, shuffling in his seat as he rubbed at the nape of his neck.

“I...perhaps?”

“You did. Aren’t you fortunate that I’m here, then?” Ouma asked brightly, before bursting into tears. “But I’m so hurt! You forgot, Amami-chan! You forgot how I saved your life!”

“I did...? Oh, that’s terrible.”

“It _IS_!” he wailed, hysterical, pressing his palms hard into his tightly shut eyes as big, blobby tears streamed down his face. “I was so scared! I was so **_WORRIED_**! I thought—I thought you had been tortured to death but instead you held on within an inch of your life! It was dangerous for me, but—but I just knew that if I didn’t get you to the hospital, you’d...” Ouma sobbed. “Oh, _Amami-chan_! I risked my entire organization for you!”

“Oh... That must’ve been difficult...”

Ouma sobbed louder.

“I’m grateful though, if you hadn’t done that...”

“Well,” Ouma cuts in softly, wiping his tears away. “It was a fair trade. For saving your life, and risking my own, Amami-chan’s life and devotion are now mine. That’s what Amami-chan promised.”

“...Wasn’t I high on painkillers at the time...?”

“Eh?” Ouma blinks at him, scandalized. “So you’re taking it back? You **_lied_** to me?!”

Amami thought it over. “Ah... Well...”

“I’ll kill you for that,” Ouma told him seriously. “I _hate_ liars.”

Then of course he grinned.

“Oh, but I’m a liar, too,” he sing-songs, twirling around thoughtfully. “And I hate killers, so—you’ve put me in quite an awkward position, A _ma_ **mi** - ** _chan_**!”

With a cheerful sway, wink, and grin, Ouma soon laughed and then, took his hand, pulling him up with a surprisingly strong grip in his thin little fingers.

“I expect compensation!” he chirped, matter-of-factly.

And of course, without a care, and oh so easily, Amami nodded.

“Haha, alright, Ouma-kun, alright.”

Ouma’s smile twitched for a moment before widening.

* * *

There are plenty of people he finds interesting. Akamatsu, their Class Rep, easily the obvious choice. Saihara, the transfer student and their newest recruit, was another. Iidabashi, Momota, Gonta, the list goes on! In general, he quite likes his class and the people in it, but—

Amami is someone he can’t help but be curious about.

With an easy smile and a sort of absent-minded nature, really, he should’ve been dull if not dim-witted. That he’d lose focus so easily, and often forgot where he was and what he was doing—it’s a hard question on whether he got this far through sheer dumb luck...or something else.

The obvious theory on something else would be Akamatsu, doubling as the childhood friend who was always keeping an eye on whenever Amami got lost. Akamatsu-chan could be as protective as she was pushy—it makes sense she’d keep Amami on a tight lease.

(“Well, they are dating, after all,” some would say. Fellow students—but not classmates, not nearly as important or interesting as classmates—liked to say that a lot. “They’re dating, aren’t they? They’re dating, right?”

_Lies are just the worst when wide-spread, aren’t they?_ )

“Don’t you think?” Ouma asked lightly, sipping at his tea.

“Hmm?” Amami perked up, stirring extra sugar into his own. “Excuse me, Ouma-kun, did you say something?”

“Nope, but that’s a lie,” he says, sighing, and he can’t help but notice just how much sugar Amami has added. Did he...forget that he added some already? Well, that or Amami has an especially sharp sweet tooth.

He does, too, but that’s what the macaroons are for, not the tea.

“Ah, I see...”

_Do you...?_ He doubts it, his smile widening. “You haven’t forgotten you’re paying for this, right, Amami-chan?”

“Oh, Ouma-kun, I’m sorry,” Amami’s even laughing apologetically. “I, mm, I don’t have money... I must’ve forgotten that...”

“Goodness, any deeper in my debt, and I’ll be owning your _soul_ , Amami-chan.”

Amami laughs, a little lighter. It’s...a gentle sound. Amami’s voice is high, but not high-pitched. Despite his easygoing nature, he really could be soft-spoken sometimes...  
  
_Aah, I want to know how he screams_. A beat. _That’s a lie, of course._

“Amami-chan, I expect further compensation.”

“Haha, okay.”

_You say it so easily._

“You’ve already pledged your day to me so why not the rest of your life?” he asked sardonically. “I’m sure you have a place in my organization somewhere. Maybe as a pet or something?”

“Kae-chan would tell you that’s a bad idea, Ouma-kun,” Amami replied. “According to her, I’m a lot more trouble than I’m worth.”

“Well, Akamatsu-chan is...” _A liar, sometimes, but she’s reliable. Ironically, she trusts and doesn’t trust in comparable amounts._ “She’s funny, sometimes. I’m in love with her, you know?”

“Aah, are you?”

“Nope. Yes. I’m lying but on which?” He just grinned. “Maybe I do and don’t—maybe I’m actually in love with you, Amami-chan.”

His pause is just a touch longer than usual.

“That’s a lie, of course. Or is it?”

“I don’t know,” Amami said. He’s smiling, cheerful, and completely unaffected. “I’m not sure what to think at all, Ouma-kun.”

Ouma’s smile fell and he glared.

“You really are an idiot then, Amami-chan. You’re very luck you’re cute. And that I love you.” He barely waited a beat. “Even though I don’t. At all. I hate you, in fact, for stealing Akamatsu-chan away from me. I hate Akamatsu-chan, too, for stealing you away from me. You both are the worst.”

“I’m sorry, Ouma-kun,” he replied easily, with only a slight edge of strain to that smile and light-hearted tone. “I really am.”

Ouma stuck out his lower lip, and he took another sip of his tea, huffing.

“You’re forgiven.” One eye opened, another kept closed. “That’s a lie. Or is that a lie?”

Anyone else would let out the most exasperated sigh if they hadn’t lost their patience much sooner. Amami just laughs before taking a sip of his own drink, humming thoughtfully, and—

He winced as he swallowed. By the look on his face, if Ouma really had to guess something so drearily expectable that he’s really kind of disappointed—

“Was that too sweet, Amami-chan?”

“A-Ah, just a little,” Amami responds with another laugh, even as it’s sheepish. No doubt he can tell from Ouma’s unimpressed look what had happened.

“Hmm.” Ouma’s gaze averted. “Not finishing tea at tea time is quite the insult to me, Amami-chan. But, really, if you insist on offending me so, then...”

Amami downed the rest. He only shuddered for a bit before resuming that usual bright smile, and laughed it off.

“Pardon me, Ouma-kun.”

“...You’re pardoned,” Ouma said quietly, almost unreadably. Then, unimpressed, he added, “That’s a lie. Impatience is quite insulting in its own right, you know. It’s almost like...” His eyes begin welling up with tears. “Y-You just want to get this over with a-as soon as p-possible, don’t you—?! T-That’s so... _cruel_ , Amami-chan!!”

“Eh, do you really think that?” Amami asks.

There’s a slight shake to his tone. Worry? Frustration? Exasperation? Whatever it was—it flickered in and out so quickly that he actually isn’t sure. It’s almost— _interesting_.

“Nishishi, nope,” he giggled. “But I could be lying. You never know anything for sure, do you, Amami-chan?”

“I suppose not...” Amami trails off absentmindedly. Wistfully.

Ouma’s smile twitched.

_What an idiot._

* * *

**_“Will you suffer and groan, and pour out your despair at the piano?”_ **

He sends the text, humming idly to himself as he did.

“Ouma-kun,” Amami says warningly, scoldingly. Just as Akamatsu so often would. “You really should turn your phone off so that it doesn’t go off during the movie.”

“Yes, _sir_ ,” Ouma droned sardonically. “If my beloved Amami-chan says so.”

“It’s just common courtesy,” Amami pointed out, albeit with more of an edge to his usual smile. “You need to show politeness to your fellow moviegoer.”

Ouma looked around, and, even in the darkness, his smile was blindingly bright.

“That’s just you, Amami-chan.”

“Still! It’s formality, Ouma-kun, formality!”

“Yes _siiiiiir_.”

“...You don’t have to call me sir,” Amami muttered, scratching at his cheek and looking awfully adorably flustered. “We’re still the same age, after all, but if you see me as a brother figure, Ouma-kun, that’s...”

“Are you _implying_ something?”

Amami quickly shook his head. “Not at all, not at all. Ah, just forget it, just forget it.”

_...I’m not as lucky as you are. So, I’m definitely going to remember that._

So, he couldn’t help but puff his cheeks out. All the same, he switched off his phone, and pocketed it.

The two of them waited for their movie, with Ouma idly chewing on candy in the silence. The previews were of mild interest, but he didn’t really know anything about the movie itself. Amami had picked it—randomly, most likely. The poster hadn’t looked terribly interesting, but...then again maybe _that_ was why there was only the two of them there. Or at least part of the reason why.

Still, maybe the movie would surprise him. And, for what it was worth, he was surprised.

Surprised by how utterly, absolutely, astronomically, incredibly, despairingly, amazingly, wow just wow how _boring_ it was.

Every line was so bland it didn’t stick, as well as every set piece, every costume, every delivery, and even the actors all looked incredibly bored and uninspired. Once he takes over the world, he’s going to have every copy of this move destroyed and every trace of its existence wiped. Just _wow_.

It didn’t take long before Amami was snoring ever so lightly. And, he was even oh so slightly leaning against him all the while.

Of course he was. This isn’t really a surprise at all. Not at all. Not really.

Honestly, he wants to fall asleep too, but, if he did that—he’d miss this oh so very precious opportunity to watch his precious Amami-chan sleeping so adorably and so _vulnerably_.

Not that he really cares either way.

That’s a lie.

Or is it?

_No,_ Ouma decides, cracking a smile. _Amami-chan is definitely cute when he’s sleeping._

Obviously.

(Obviously, he’s lying.)

* * *

“It wasn’t too bad... I think...”

“No, it was just the worst,” Ouma agreed, nodding along. Amami just laughed it off, however nervously that laughter was.

“I’m sorry, I really didn’t think _that_ movie would be... Um.”

“I liked the part where it turned out his wife was secretly the dual mastermind of a mafia-ran brothel with her fourth cousin and then shot his best friend to cover up her good deeds and the sham of a marriage.” A pause. “There was someone from my organization in that movie. I’m having them excommunicated and banned from the country.”

“That’s a little harsh, Ouma-kun, don’t do that,” Amami said, back in that scolding ‘big brother’ mode he was evidently prone to. Even though they were the same age. In fact, Ouma was sure Amami was actually younger.

“Fine,” he replies anyway. “I’ll just have their whole family covered in glue, feathers, and sequins. Except I wouldn’t. That’s a waste of glue and feathers. I lied.”

“You really shouldn’t joke about terrorizing innocent people,” Amami huffed at him. “That’s wrong, Ouma-kun.”

_Akamatsu-chan would say that very thing, but with her arms folded and her cheeks puffed._

Akamatsu’s expression then, unsurprisingly, was much cuter than the one Amami is showing him now.

Except it wasn’t.

That was a lie.

No, it wasn’t.

Or was it?

_(Amami-chan is cute though.)_

“They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Amami-chan.”

“Hmm?” Amami perked up, a little puzzled. “Why are you saying that so suddenly, Ouma-kun?”

“Why would you think it’s being said suddenly?” he asks simply and cheerfully.

“...So it isn’t being said suddenly? I’m afraid I didn’t pick up on the lead-up to it then, Ouma-kun.”

“Perhaps the lead-up wasn’t there for you to pick up,” Ouma said.

“...I see...” Amami trails off, just as Ouma adds.

“Ah, but I’m a liar, so, take that as you will.”

“Do I have to take it at all?” Amami asked.

_...Huh._

“No,” Ouma says either with surprising sincerity or unsurprisingly none at all. “No, you don’t.”

* * *

There are plenty of people in his class who interest him. But few perplex him the way Amami does—or perhaps that’s untrue. Perhaps it’s just that Amami is fun to exchange banter with, provides interesting answers and allows for a well-flowing conversation. But that behavior is not exclusive to Amami—it’s more that Amami is one of the few who goes along with things so  _easily_ .

Despite that distance Amami puts between himself and others with that aggravatingly unassuming smile of his, there’s a great deal of vulnerability that Amami allows because...because...

He doesn’t know why.

He knows exactly why.

That’s a lie.

It isn’t a lie.

He’s imagined Amami’s sincere smile more than a few times. But he’s also imagine Amami scowling. Amami reaching, Amami holding his hand out in front of himself to ward others away— _just kidding_. Just kidding. It’s a lie. He doesn’t imagine or even think of such things at all.

Isn’t that disgusting? Isn’t that the worst? Lying is disgusting. Lying is the worst.

Of course, he is a liar. Of course. Not. Yes. Maybe.

There’s a leaf stuck in Amami’s hair, and he has to strain a bit to pick it out with how much taller Amami is. It’s annoying, it’s the worst—Amami’s apologetic but grateful smile for his troubles fills him with warmth and coldness. He despises it as much as he adores it.

He feels nothing.

“Amami-chan, today was uninterestingly and disappointingly boring. I must say, I feel really let down.” He speaks easily, fingers entwined and locked behind his head, and dull gaze on the fluttering leaves overhead, how wind whistles through the crevices, how afternoon near sunset sunlight seeps through, attracting more crawling darkness. “I have to say, I feel really, really let down. This is just as bad as that time Toujou-chan revealed she wasn’t ever my mom. As bad as that time Iruma-chan laughed and ended up choking to death on a dust bunny.”

“I’m sorry, Ouma-kun.”

And it’s funny.

It’s really funny because—

Amami really seems to mean it. Amami really seems sad for him, dismayed for him, almost like if there was something he could do to make it up to him, provided it was within Amami’s broad and vague definition of reason, he would if Ouma so requested.

There’s distance in that guarded smile, but there’s open vulnerability in it as well.

It’s enticing. It’s seductive.

It’s repulsive. It’s repugnant.

_People are as consistent as they are contradictory._

“How do you plan on making it up to me?”

“Eh?”

“Are you going to promise me your heart after all, Amami-chan?”

He doesn’t answer. His smile is still steadily locked in place when anyone else’s would have at least twitched.

“Fall in love with me so that you never forget about me, Amami-chan.”

Slowly, softly, Amami laughs.

“I wouldn’t forget you regardless, Ouma-kun. You’re much too memorable for that.”

“You are wrong, Amami-chan, I’m completely unremarkable just like Shirogane-chan,” Ouma said. “I am completely indistinct from everyone else and just like everyone else. I blend into the crowd perfectly. That’s what makes me so _dangerous_ , you know? Me and my organization—we’re just _normal_ people.”

Amami blinks at him, and with an easy smile and that lazy, half-lidded stare that puts emphasis on those long, thick eyelashes, he simply hums.

_You’re beautiful. You’re hideous. I can’t stand you. I can’t get enough._

“It’s been a long day,” Amami ends up saying brightly, looking all the brighter with how the sun is dipping into the horizon, so after this flush of orange and pink, it’s going to be dark. “How about we rest and perhaps have some snacks? We can sit by the park’s fountain.”

“I don’t think so,” Ouma replies. “We’ll sit somewhere else.”

“Alright, alright.”

This park didn’t have a fountain.

It really didn’t.

Amami seriously thought this was the same park when the trees framing the walkway they’re on should’ve been a dead giveaway that it wasn’t. But, in the very least, there were vending machines. At least there was that.

At least.

* * *

They eat their vending machine spongy cakes in peace and silence. Well, Amami does. Ouma’s already eaten his, so he’s just swinging his legs, humming, and staring up at the orange sky.

“It’s almost the end of the day and it’s been drearily despairingly uneventful,” he says, and then he perks up with a cheerful chirp. “Oh, but that’s a lie, if I’m with Amami-chan, then—!”

Ouma sighs, already too tired to continue on with that line of thought.

“...It really has been boring... Amami-chan is probably going to forget all about this tomorrow...”

Amami gives him a look, swallowing his food.

“Did you really not enjoy yourself, Ouma-kun?”

“Are you concerned?” Ouma asks dully. “Are you thinking about how you should get on your hands and knees to make it up to me? Or about killing yourself here and now to right your wrongs?”

“Ah... Hmm...” Amami thinks it over. “Maybe we can go somewhere exciting next time. I’ve been entering several different sweepstakes lately to win trips to different places.”

“You really are an idiot if you think you can win one of those rigged contests, Amami-chan,” Ouma responded without missing a beat. “What I think we should do is smuggle ourselves on board, kill the captain, and take over.”

“Then the crew would mutiny.”

“Ah, but then it turns out the strongest members of the crew are also secretly members of my organization and together, we crush the resistance!” Ouma waited, and then he added, “Or we’ll just be thrown overboard and I’ll drown because I don’t know how to swim. And then in a violent fit of grief, Amami-chan will kill himself to join me in the afterlife!”

“...That does sound violent,” Amami muses, popping the last bit of sponge cake into his mouth and chewing thoughtfully. “I think I’ll test my luck. Maybe we won’t have to go to such extremes.”

“You’d need some extreme luck to win, Amami-chan,” Ouma told him, unimpressed. With that he just sighed loudly and dramatically, throwing his head back with an over the top groan. “This is _hopeless_ then, isn’t it? Isn’t it? How sad!”

“Ah, so it really is despairingly dull for you, then,” Amami laughs lightly and vapidly. “I thought it was pleasant enough though. I enjoyed myself.”

_Of course you did._

Ouma sniffled. And he began to sob.

“Thaaaat’s not _gooooood enough_!!!”

“Then what would be, Ouma-kun?”

“What do you _thiiiiiiiiiink_?!”

Amami positively flinched.

“I don’t know,” he answered, and even though he was chuckling, rubbing at the nape of his neck, there was an obvious strain. So obvious that even one ear with rocks stuck inside could have picked up on it. “I really don’t know what would be enough for Ouma-kun...”

Ouma began to wipe his tears away.

“Your heart. I want your heart, Amami-chan.”

Just as Amami turned to him, with that easy smile, Ouma had already taken his shoulders. Eyes bored into his own.

“Ah, Ouma-kun...?” There was a slight rise, signifying a question, like he really wasn’t sure, like he really had no idea—

“Hey, Amami-chan,” Ouma says as he draws near. “Fall in love with me already, won’t you please?”

“Ah,” Amami repeats, and his eyes are awfully wide. His eyelashes really are long. “Ouma-kun.”

“Please?”

His lips are unsurprisingly smooth, which makes it easier for his own to slide against them. It’s a chaste kiss. A light kiss.

He doesn’t keep it light for long, biting his lower lip, making it swell, and just as Amami’s lips parted—with surprise, with _acceptance_? He certainly wasn’t protesting, how dangerously _pliant_ —

“Ehe.”

He pulls away, smile twisting at the corner of his mouth, chiming with, “So what’s your answer? If you lie to me about how you feel, I won’t forgive you.”

Amami blinks once, twice, lips still parted and then, “Alright.”

“...Alright?” Ouma repeats, blinking back with his smile in place. “Amami-chan?”

“Alright,” Amami says, nodding. “Alright.”

Ouma stares back, snickers, but just about he’s about to reply, there’s a defiant shout.

“OF COURSE IT COULD ONLY **_YOU_**!!!”

_...Oh._

“Oh, Akamatsu-chan!” Ouma squealed, turning to greet her with a delighted wave, and his smile widens even more when he notices. “And Saihara-chan. Eh, eh, were you two on a date as well?”

“N-No, we’re just...!”

“Ouma-kun!” Akamatsu snaps, prematurely cutting off Saihara’s flustered denial as she gave him a strong glare. “You really caused me quite a bit of trouble!”

“Eh, eh, _did I_?!” he gasps, and then tears well up on command. “Akamatsu-chan, I would never want to do that! I wouldn’t! How cruel! _So cruel_!” And just like that the tears receded. “We were just on a date. You really are overprotective, Akamatsu-chan.”

“It’s not _just_ a date if you send me a hostage text message, Ouma-kun! Especially when Tarou-kun’s phone wouldn’t take any calls!!” Akamatsu protested heatedly. “I know this is just one of your pranks, but—you really shouldn’t joke around about such things! Although...” She shot Amami a withering look. “Tarou-kun... You did remember to charge your phone last night, right?”

“Oh, sorry, no, and it died a while ago,” Amami apologizes, laughing as he does. “Ouma-kun had nothing to do with that.”

“Are you alright, at least?” Saihara asked, to which he nodded, even as Akamatsu’s exasperation grew with building frustration. Still, Saihara looked relieved enough. “Well, that’s good. Hopefully Ouma-kun didn’t cause too much trouble... But Akamatsu-san and I were quite worried, so you really should be more responsible when it comes to charging your phone, Amami-kun.”

“Ah, yes, Saihara-kun... I most certainly should be...”

“You were so worried that you had Saihara-chan help you track us down?” Ouma asks almost drearily. “Your lack of trust really hurts me, Akamatsu-chan, especially when I love you so deeply. Ah, but I’m a liar so it’s understandable. I still love you, Akamatsu-chan.”

“You really shouldn’t joke around like that,” Akamatsu retorted, but more strained. “It’s as confusing as it is tiring, Ouma-kun.”

“Then! How about this?” Ouma was positively beaming as he proudly announced, “Amami-chan’s mine now, and you can’t have him, Akamatsu-chan. Which is a lie, except it isn’t. Nishishi, I completely mean it even though I don’t mean it at _aaaaaall_!”

“O-Oy vey, what did I just say...?”

“Amami-kun,” Saihara says, pointedly ignoring Ouma as he adjusted his cap with a slight bow. “It’s getting dark, so we should probably be on our way.”

“Ah, you’re right,” Amami replies almost distantly, but he turns back to Ouma. “Ouma-kun, it gets dangerous when it’s dark out, so we should take you home, first.”

“We should,” Akamatsu sighs. “Ouma-kun, let’s get going.”

Ouma looks between the two of them—Saihara would looked away as he was prone to do in order to avoid meeting a strong gaze, but he did nod along in agreement. Ouma’s quiet for a moment, but he smiles.

“If my sweet Saihara-chan, my dearest Akamatsu-chan, and my most beloved Amami-chan insist, then who am I to refuse?”

* * *

“Till next time, Amami-chan, my  _love_ ~!”

Ouma blows kisses with one hand and waves happily with the other. Even before he heads inside, he blows one last overly dramatic kiss with a wink.

“Your arm’s not sore, is it?” she asks, nudging him with her elbow. “Ouma-kun was clinging to it very hard.”

“I didn’t notice,” Amami hums, and already she can see the spinning flowers popping up with that easygoing smile. “Were you really that worried, Kae-chan?”

“She was,” Saihara answered to which Kaede flinched.

“H-Hey! Don’t speak for me!”

“S-Sorry,” he answered quietly, to which Kaede hurriedly waved her hands to be placating.

“W-Wait no, Saihara-kun, I forgive you...!” She took a deep breath and sighed heavily, tugging both boys behind her as they all made their way down the road. “Today has been a frustrating day, with me running around with Saihara-kun trying to check in with Ouma-kun and Tarou-kun...”

“I really am sorry about my phone,” Amami said, matching her pace as Saihara did the same. “I’ve been distracted lately, and maybe Ouma-kun noticed. Our time together was really pleasant.”

“Just pleasant?” Kaede asks, almost dubiously as Saihara’s eyes narrowed.

“Is that really true? It’s Ouma-kun, so it’s really hard to believe...”

“There’s nothing to be suspicious over,” Amami said, cheerfully as always, easily as always with that smile of his. “I did enjoy it, really, although...” He pauses, cupping his chin in thought, rubbing at his lower lip idly. “Ouma-kun...is suspiciously a good kisser.”

“K-Kisser?!” Saihara gasped, going red as Kaede looked unsurprised and unimpressed.

“Wow, so he’s actually serious about you... But.” Her look soured. “If it turns out he isn’t and that’s a lie, I’m really going to tell him off.”

“A-Akamatsu-san, you aren’t surprised at all...?!”

“Who knows, who knows,” Amami hums.

“And Amami-kun isn’t affected at all?!”

“Saihara-kun, relaaaaax!” Kaede exclaims, bumping shoulders with him while laughing. “You’re _way_ too surprised and affected!”

“I-I...! Perhaps...” Saihara tugs his hat down, cheeks still flaring. Kaede’s smile faded a little, but then she turned back to Amami.

“I...am a bit surprised, though,” she admitted, to which Saihara perked up. “Tarou-kun, how do you feel?”

“Fine, fine,” Amami chirps. And then, “I do...have quite a bit to think about.”

“Hopefully you won’t forget any of it,” Kaede sighs as Saihara remains pensively silent. Amami, too, can’t help but ponder before...

_“Fall in love with me so that you never forget about me, Amami-chan.”_

“I won’t,” Amami finds himself saying, smiling all the while. “I won’t, I definitely won’t.”


End file.
